Ethnic switching: Longitudinal evidence on prevalence, correlates, and implications for measuring ethnic segregation

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Rademakers, Robbert; van Hoorn, Andre
• 署名单位: Radboud University Nijmegen
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0304-3878
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2021.102694
• 发表日期: 2021
• 关键词: Intra-individual ethnicity change; Ethnic boundaries; Ethnic crossing; intermarriage; Post-marital residence norms; Racial fluidity

摘要

Ethnic divisions are prominent in many countries and associated with various societal ills, ranging from discrimination to violence and intra-state conflict. Commonly seen as exogenous, individuals' ethnicity is not necessarily fixed or unmalleable, however. We first use individual-level panel data for Indonesia, the U.S. and India, to document the prevalence of generic, undirected intra-individual ethnicity change. Second, we focus on potential correlates of ethnic switching and find that ethnic switching is predictable and follows logical patterns. By zooming in on individuals' choices to switch to a specific ethnicity, we similarly find strong evidence that such directed ethnic switching occurs systematically and is guided by deliberate individual decision making. Third, considering potential implications of endogenous ethnicity, we find that ethnic switching can severely inflate official numbers on ethnic segregation, specifically on marital endogamy. We conclude that ethnic switching is real and highly relevant for the study of ethnic diversity and segregation.